I have received some information from Scottish Water regarding the intermittent leaks of wastewater at two manhole covers on the foreshore at Douglas Terrace and at the walkway. The walkway location will require major works to remove the leak risk.
The manhole cover on the Douglas Terrace side of the West Ferry Pumping Station was repaired on 10 August so further risk of leakage has been eliminated at this location.
Copied below are the answers to questions I put to Scottish Water and the responses received:
How long will the major works take at the walkway leak location?
We are still waiting on a programme and method of working from our PFI Contractor. We know from experience that ground conditions and tidal working will present challenges. As soon as we have details, these will be communicated to all local stakeholders.
Will there continue to be leaks until this work is carried out?
The leak at the Douglas Terrace manhole has been repaired. The second leak was stopped on Friday 9 August as a result of the additional pumping at West Ferry Pumping Station. We do not anticipate any more leaks but the short term risk remains until a full repair has been undertaken. We will be reviewing the pumping situation to determine if the temporary arrangement is still required.
Will the walkway need to be closed when the major works are carried out?
We do not anticipate any need to close the walkway. Access for repair works will be via the route recently used by Kilmac for the walkway works (i.e. down the slipway at West Ferry Pumping Station).
What volume of wastewater is being leaked into the river and what are the health/environmental implications?
The leak volume will be dependent on a range of factors, mainly weather and operational in nature. As indicated above, the remaining leak has been stopped. If the leak occurs again then the discharge rate will be in the low numbers of litres per second. The area has been inspected by SEPA and whilst there was liquid evident, there were no other sewage related solids present. I understand that SEPA contacted Dundee City Council Environmental Health to keep them appraised of the situation. As there is no discharge at present we do not anticipate any issues in the water environment. Daily checks at low tide will continue to ensure there is no discharge from the leak location.
